Last of Us sells over 3 million copies, surpassing “all sales expectations”

It’s easy to despair of an industry where Tomb Raider can sell 3.5 million copies and be considered a “failure,” but Sony brings us a little light of hope today: Naughty Dog’s post-zombie stealth/action blockbuster The Last of Us exceeded all their hopes. Since release in mid-June,the PS3 exclusive sold approximately 3.4 million combined physical and digital units.

“These sales figures are a testament to the blockbuster quality of The Last of Us,” said Shuhei Yoshida, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios. “The teams at Naughty Dog are true visionaries and their storytelling capabilities are second to none, this title is an undisputed demonstration of that. SCE continues to be committed to delivering unique gameplay experiences that redefine the interactive entertainment industry and The Last of Us is a perfect example.”

The Last of Us was released to critical acclaim, and the perfect reviews going up nearly a full week before release probably didn’t hurt sales figures. It’s nice to see a company with something resembling reasonable expectations, and it’s awesome that a new IP from an established developer won’t flounder under the shadow of a new console. And since you asked: no, gaming community, I still haven’t forgiven you for the failure of Okami.